THE FACTS
When is Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta taking place? Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta will take place on Saturday 31st July, 2021 at (not before) 07:00 (UK)
Where is Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta taking place? Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta will take place at Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo
What surface is Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta played on? Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta will be played on hard courts
Where can I get tickets for Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta? There are no tickets for Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta as Olympic Tennis will take place without spectators.
What TV channel is Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta on in the UK? Olympic coverage is shared between BBC and Eurosport so it is worth checking their schedules for Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta
Where can I stream Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta in the UK? If Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta is televised on BBC then it can be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app. If Novak Djokovic vs Pablo Carreno Busta is televised on Eurosport then subscribers can stream the match live on Eurosport Player
THE PREDICTION
The quest for the first male ‘Golden Slam’ is over after world number one Novak Djokovic lost in the semi-finals to an inspired performance by Alexander Zverev. 34-year-old Djokovic raced to a first set lead before the German had time to settle but Zverev’s determination not to lose the second set was what he built a stunning deciding set victory around. The Australian Open, Roland-Garros and Wimbledon champion will have to focus on achieving a first calendar slam at the US Open later this year but he still has a chance at a gold medal in the mixed doubles alongside Nina Stojanovic and he will be desperate to claim this bronze. In his way is world number 11 Pablo Carreno Busta, who had his stellar campaign brought to an end by the resurgent Karen Khachanov in straight sets earlier on Friday. 30-year-old Carreno Busta beat what looked like Djokovic’s main rival at Tokyo 2020 in Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals to make it nine wins on the spin and he will be desperately disappointed to not be in that final.
Carreno Busta has troubled Novak Djokovic on a few occasions, not least in their now infamous round of 16 tie at last year’s US Open where the Spaniard’s intensity frustrated Djokovic into mistakenly hitting an umpire in the neck with a discarded tennis ball. That win by default is PCB’s only victory against the Serb but he has taken two sets across four defeats to the Serb over the last few years on clay at the 2017 Monte-Carlo Masters and Roland-Garros last year. It remains to be seen how Djokovic will respond to the loss of his quest for the Golden Slam but he is of course a consummate professional. Carreno Busta has played well enough this week to force a decider so take Djokovic as the outright winner of the bronze medal here.